Research on Polycystic Kidney Disease

Advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) have opened up possibilities of new therapies to prevent disease progression. High quality clinical investigations in patients with ADPKD, however, pose significant challenges to investigators including limited access to patients with ADPKD,insufficient guidance by experienced investigators and lack of resources to conduct these studies. The Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Clinical and Translational Core (P30) aims to establish an infrastructure that will assist investigators in designing and conducting highest quality clinical and translational research focused on a diverse group of patients with ADPKD. Objective 1: To establish a Mid-Atlantic cohort of ADPKD patients (N=350) with baseline clinical phenotyping performed at the General Clinical Research Unit of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Objective 2: To establish a state-of-the-art biobank of specimens from the ADPKD cohort including serum, plasma,urine and DNA. Objective 3: To develop a collaborative network of physicians and practices in the Mid-Atlantic region who will contribute to the ADPKD cohort and will be willing to refer patients for future studies and trials. Objective 4: To establish a web-based registry of ADPKD patients in the Mid-Atlantic area.